Ball-caster



No. 609,568. Patented Aug. 23, I898.

' H. D. ADELL.

BALL CASTER.

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1896.)

(No Model.)

Hli ll WITNESSES:

TTORNEY llrrirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY D. ADELL, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

BALL-CASTER.

SPEGIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,568, dated August 23,1898. Application filed September 14, 1896. Serial No. 605,689. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY D. ADELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at O0- lumbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Furniture-Casters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in furniture-casters of that class in which the roller is provided with boXings upon opposite sides for the reception of rollers which surround the shaft or spindle to decrease the friction; and it has for its object, among others, to improve upon this class of casters and provide a construction wherein it is not necessary to drill or otherwise form an opening through the ball for the passage of the shaft or spindle. It is well known that great difficulty has been .experienced in forming an opening centrally through a glass ball, and, furthermore, I have found by experience that better results are attained when the shaft does not extend through the ball. For these reasons I dispense with the spindle or shaft extending through the ball or roller and provide a construction wherein the ball is mounted on trunnions carried by the fingers on the shank and the trunnions mounted in sockets in the opposite sides of the ball and surrounded by short rollers. The rollers are located within boxings which are fitted tightly within the sockets and secured against displacement by cementing or analogous means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claim, the novelty residing in the peculiar construction and the combination, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the drawings, and then particularly pointed out in the claim. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a view in elevation of my improved caster. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line w 00 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line y y of Fig. 1.

Si milar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

or represents the shank or stem of my im proved caster, which may be of the ordinary form and which is adapted to be inserted into the leg-socket of a piece of furniture. I form with the base or lower end portion of the shank roller-holding fingers b, which, as indicated in the drawings, are preferably in the form of bird-claws and which are adapted to partially embrace a ball-shaped roller 0. The claw portion or ball-holding base of the shank may be formed in two sections, one of said sections being riveted to the other and each of said sections embodying two of the claws or fingers.

' From the lower end portion of two of the V oppositely-located claws or fingers 1) project inward pins or trunnions d, these trunnions projecting centrally into oppositely-located sockets 6, formed in the ball 0. Before the insertion of the trunnions 01 each of these sockets has inserted therein a cup-shaped filling-piece or boxing f, and between the inner surface of the latter and the periphery of the trunnion are arranged a set of comparatively short rollers g.

Upon the head of the claw portion of my improved caster and about the base of the shank a are arranged a set of bearing-balls h, the latter being retained in place thereon by means of a bearing-cap i, which loosely surrounds said shank and is provided on its under side with a continuous groove which is adapted to receive the upper portions of said balls h. The cap i is prevented from slipping upward by means of a suitable collar or projection is on the shank a.

It is obvious that when the caster herein described has its shank portion inserted within the leg of a bed or other article of furniture said leg will bear upon the cap t'.

Owing to the fact that my improved ballroller is journaled at its axis, it will be seen that the movement of the article of furniture to which the caster is attached in a new direction necessitates the turning of the caster until its trunnions are at right angles with the new direction, and it is obvious that by the employment of the ball-bearing at the base of the shank this turning operation will be comparatively easy and that the bed or other article of furniture may be moved quickly and easily in any desired direction.

The ball 0 is constructed of glass, while the boxings f may be produced of metal or other desirable material, said boxings being cemented or otherwise secured in the sockets 6.

It will be observed that myimproved caster is of such construction as to admit of its being produced ata reasonable cost of manufacture and thatlthe same will present a neat appearance when in use.

In manufacturing the caster'the trunnionholding fingers are ordinarily spread'apart to such .a degree as to admit of the insertion of the ballor rollerbetween them, after which these :fingers are placed in a vise and forced or sprung inwardto theposition shownin'the drawings. In other Words, the fingers are clamped in place after the ball or roller is inserted between them.

Having now fully described my invention, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The improved furniture-caster herein described, comprising the ball-shaped roller of glass having oppositely-disposed sockets extending inwardly from the periphery for a distance less than one-half the diameter of the roller, with the portion of the roller between said sockets imperforate, boxings in said sockets and secured against displace ment, short rollers in said boxings, and the caster-shank provided with-fingers embracing opposite sides of'the roller'andhaving trunnions rigid therewith and extendingintothe sockets and surrounded by said rollers,.all substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

HENRY DADELL. In presence of- O. O. SHEPHERD, .A. .L. PHELPS. 

